Mom-of-5, building a home in California, step by step, with Faith and Feistiness ~ by General Mom Contractor

The details that bring you to your knees

by generalmom

In order to reduce our costs, we needed to reduce our rent costs ridiculously low in order to build without burning through savings. So, after considering a lot of options, I posted a Craigslist ad looking for someone to rent to us for a year at below market price. We are going from a 3800 square foot home with 7 people down to 1700 square feet with 7 people…and a dog. Totally doable since I have moved 24 times in 38 years. From the smallest being dorm rooms, summer camp jobs living in tents with a dozen 7 year olds, to our last custom house that we built. So, I can do this. I got this. But the part that brings me to my knees is the details in which it unfolded. I explored several options as I mentioned in my last post.

Then I got an email response to my Craigslist ad from a kind woman who is going through a divorce and is moving in with her brother nearby so that she can save money and get back on her feet. She sent me an email asking about our timing and I said we were looking for the right opportunity and then we will move. I made an appointment to see it and googled to death the neighborhood, Megan’s Law, how much it was bought for, school district, etc. It looked amazing for the price!

When I arrived and got out of the car, the cement stoop greeted me with a special impression to my heart, “Jesus Christ is Lord.” I was brimming from ear to ear upon seeing that! When she answered the door, I was all smiles and told her we were off to a great start! It’s a lovely house and just right for us for a year. We had an amazing connection! Even her sister arrived and was wearing a shirt with Scripture on it. It was another comforting aspect to this divine appointment!

One interesting detail to this story started 10 years ago when I was methodically thumbing through 60,000 baby names and their meanings, I came across one that I highlighted and researched. Acacia, ever heard of that name? I had read about it in the Bible, the ark of the Covenant was built in Acacia wood and covered in gold. There are inferences that wood in the Bible symbolize unredeemed, sinful man and it needs to be covered over. Jesus on the wooden cross carries this symbolism even further. Naming a child Acacia got overturned by the hubby. I always came back to that name when naming our other four children over the years. It’s been on my heart and mind for 11 years. Then it hit me like a mack truck on my way home! My heart sank in this one, single, very special detail…the Lord has been preparing the way all this time. Our new street name is Acacia. I am NOT looking for signs and wonders but some special details that only the Lord knew were right before me to bless my heart down to the street name, the door stoop and the house number being one added number than our current one (He knows I can’t remember anything). Humbling to say the least.

Mark 13:33, “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect.”